P100 - FOB 2003 X-Mas Party.
P100 - FOB 2003 X-Mas Party.

 A BRIEF RETROSPECT ……and THE PRESENT

Moments in Life

 " There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real ! "
   

However, in the 1980’s, the Andres Soriano group sold PICOP to new owners.  During that time, a log ban was imposed by the government due to the fast depletion of the country’s forest and natural resources.  Also, there was a devaluation of the peso against the US dollar. These are some of the reasons PICOP was forced to undergo major downsizing and retrenchment.  More lay-offs and cost-cutting occurred in the 1990’s. 

 " When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one, which has been opened for us. "

There were hardly any work for the majority of the employees and were forced to leave Mangagoy. Most settled in major cities in the Philippines while others found work abroad. 
 

Today, the company is now called PICOP Resources.

ImageP676 - Courtesy of Lita M. Wuersch
P101 - Picop logyard of today.   PXXX- The Misa siblings, 2004 ?


Distance did not deter the spirit of camaraderie among the Bisliganons and they brought this along with them, typical of a close knit community.

  P769 - Nor and Angeling Santos' golden wedding anniversary with friends in Quezon City, 2003. Courtesy of Mart S.ImageImage
P769 - Nor and Angeling Santos       P105-FOB X-mas Party           P106
Golden Wedding anniversary.2003   in Metro Manila, 2003
      

It was in 2000, a group of dear friends formed the Friends of Bislig(FOB)-Manila, spearheaded by Mario Buenaventura.  The social group is composed mostly of alumni from John Bosco School, PICOP employees and friends who lived in and loved Bislig.  The group meets occasionally for coffee, summer picnics and outings, and of course, the traditional FOB Christmas party.  Likewise, when a FOB “balikbayan” visit the Philippines, the group finds time to entertain the visiting kababayan.

 '70 Batch -2004 Reunion in Mangagoy taken in front of the church of St. Vincent de Paul Courtesy of Mart S.ImageImage
P107                                            P108                                            P109
JBS Batch '70 reunion                  JBS Batch 70 pose in front        Lita Misa-Wursch and  husband
in front of the Church, 2004          of the tour bus,2004                  Hubi's visit to Mangagoy, 2005
                                                                
                                                                                 
Image  Atty&Mrs Aguilar,their daughter&grandaughter,Edna Wilwayco,Henrietta Basanez, Ruben&wife,Baby,Sarmiento with my Mom, Nen Another picture from the 50th wedding are the Bisliganons also. Standing are Ellen Lopez, Henrietta Basanez, Ellen's so
P110- Jing Quijada and Mart     PXXX-Some Bisliganons with the  PXXX-.. and another one !
Santos in Gensan, 2005             Castroverdes in New York, 1993

                                                                                                                                                                                     

Reunions and get-togethers were not confined among FOB-Manila.  Alumni homecomings were held every December in Mangagoy while class reunions of the different batches were either held in Mangagoy, Cebu or Manila mostly in the months of  April, May or June. 

ImageP596 -Image
P113  - The 1970 and 1979        P114  - The '70 Batch  in front     P115 - Mart with George and
Batches group in 2004 Bislig       of JBS, 2004                                Minda S. Torre in their Cebu
Reunion taken in Danipas                                                              

 The  FOB-Abroad group also managed to have their min-reunions in California, USA; Sydney, Australia and the most recent, Mission,BC, Canada in July 2005.

Albertans Badoie E., Zola L.P. and Pito Basanez in a get-together in Calgary-2005. Courtesy of NZPP571 - Noni and Perla Villa with the Santoses in Vancouver. Courtesy of Mart S.Image
P116  - The Albertans of the       P117 - Noni and Perla Villa's     P118 - Butcharts Garden in
"Wild Rose Country"                    visit in Vancouver , 2004            Victoria , B.C. - 2005   
     

ImageP120 - Courtesy of Vince B. CastilloMrs. R. Gaspar (partly hidden) blowing her 80 birthday candles ! Courtesy of Vince Castillo
P119-Levi Villanueva with           P120 -                                      PXXX- Mrs. Rosa Gaspar's
FOB's in Delima's residence,                                                        80th. birthday, 2006 
California 2005        

Don't count the years-count the memories..........."

 

The creation of the FOB website and e-group in 2001, reconnected Bisliganons from all over the world.  The members have access to news, events and happenings within the social group.  E-mail exchanges were numerous. One significant e-mail from Lita Misa Wuersch, daughter of the former resident manager GV Misa, in January 2005, caught the interest of the members.  She suggested to Mario B., about creating a Bislig History Book Website.  The response was overwhelming and most of the members concurred to the project.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take; but by the moments that take our breath away! "